Visiting your doctor regularly, following a well-balanced diet, and exercising may improve your physical and emotional health and wellness. Unfortunately, many people still develop deadly diseases that affect their lives even when following recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. Although surprising to learn, an estimated 1.6 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at some point in their lifetime. Even though it seems to be becoming a deadly problem that everyone should be familiar with, most people do not know much about pancreatic cancer. Using this guide, you will learn a few important facts regarding this deadly type of cancer.

Symptoms for Early Detection

No matter what type of cancer you are referring to, early detection is key to effective treatment. Unfortunately, detecting pancreatic cancer early is difficult because symptoms are so vague. If you are experiencing one or more of the following signs, be sure to consult your doctor:

• Pain in upper abdomen
• Pain that radiates from abdomen to the back
• Unexplained weight loss
• Jaunice (yellowing of the skin)
• Dark urine, light stools
• Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck

It is important to note that these symptoms do not always stem from cancer, but your doctor needs to know about these issues. Using CT scans and blood tests, your doctor will be able to determine if the symptoms are related to cancer.

Patients with severe bloating and abdominal pain will require immediate treatment, since these symptoms are most likely stemming from a large tumor that has grown on the pancreas.

Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer

Most people read books and online articles on how to prevent cancer. Some of the information found in these materials can be helpful, but there really is no way to prevent cancer. Thankfully, you can reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by learning a few common risk factors of the disease.

If you smoke cigarettes, quit now. Nicotine can cause inflammation in the body, which will directly affect the pancreas and surrounding organs and tissues. Individuals who smoke tobacco are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Smoking a pipe and using chewing tobacco also increase your risk of pancreatic cancer.

Individuals who are overweight or living with diabetes are also at a greater risk of developing the disease.

Breaking the tobacco habit, losing weight, and managing your diabetes are possible ways to lower your risk of this cancer. However, certain risk factors cannot be managed.

If someone in your family has had pancreatic cancer, your risk of developing the disease will be higher. Also, if you have suffered from one of these medical conditions, you may be at risk of pancreatic cancer:

• Pancreatitis
• Cirrhosis
• Stomach ulcers

Treatment Options Vary

When you hear the word "cancer," you probably think about chemotherapy first, but each case is different and may require a different course of treatment.

Of course, chemotherapy using anti-cancer drugs is the most common option for treating pancreatic cancer, especially if it has spread to other areas of the body. Taken by the mouth of intravenously, these drugs enter the bloodstream, attacking cancer cells all through the body. While there are many side effects, chemotherapy is effective for some patients.

Since it can be used in addition to chemotherapy, surgery to remove tumors improves the chances of survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Today, innovative, minimally-invasive procedures that do not require incisions are being used to destroy cancer cells. Known as NanoKnife surgery, this treatment uses electrical currents to kill cancer cells. By destroying cancerous tumors without creating invasive surgeries, NanoKnife ablation doubles the rate of survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a truly devastating disease. With proper understanding, a diagnosis does not have to be the end of your world.